The Scoop on Estrogen

The Scoop on Estrogen

There are a few kinds of estrogen - E1 (not a primary estrogen — mostly for bone and vaginal health), E2 (estradiol - the most powerful), and E3.

Estrogen gets a bad rap because of the thoughts we are get about it contributing to breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

It’s not that simple though - we need it for good fertility, strong bones and of course collagen! It also helps with some neurotransmitter production (think happy feel good serotonin and motivating dopamine) and protects against memory loss.

Low estrogen could decrease dopamine which can make us feel less motivated and crave the not-so-good things! Low serotonin can cause depression and sleep difficulties!

Common causes for low estrogen can be:

•   age

•   irregular cycles

•   anorexia

•   low cholesterol

•   extreme exercise

•   extreme stress

•   breastfeeding

•   birth control pill usage

•   hypothyroidism

•   and others!

What about high estrogen?

•   obesity

•   steroids

•   environmental estrogens

•   alcohol use

•   ovarian cysts

•   and others!

I love chatting hormones with women and being a detective to really find out what is going on and finding solutions. We also have a range of testing available to figure things out and help you be the best you can be!